I saw stand-up comic Wayne Federman the other night. He told this story:
“I was with my friend at a Dave Matthews concert. As an encore they did All Along the Watchtower. My friend said, ‘Hey, cool they’re covering that Jimi Hendrix song’.
I said ‘NO! Jimi Hendrix was covering the Bob Dylan song. Matthews is doing a . . . Cover of a Cover
THAT’S A DUVET!’”
I thought this was brilliant! A cover of a cover is a Duvet! I guess Watchtower is one of the best examples: Bands often base their interpretation on the Hendrix version. What are some other examples you can think of? Versions that are obviously based more on a prior cover than they are based on the original?
I guess many acts that would cover Twist and Shout would probably base their rendition on the Beatles’ version, I’m sure many covers of Hound Dog are based on the Elvis version, but I don’t have any specific examples to point to.
I got into this with a girlfriend a while back. She says the duvet is the decorative cover and I say the duvet is the bag of feathers and the case you put over it is the duvet cover. I need a definitive answer (in my favor, of course!).
I have nothing to add to the topic of music covers, but here’s the definition of duvet. I’ve always wondered if I was using the term “duvet cover” correctly or if it was redundant like “ATM machine”. Apparently, a duvet is the comforter itself and a duvet cover is the cover you put on it.
Actually, in recent years when I’m about to say something that someone doesn’t want to hear, I say " I hate to be a damp duvet, but…" Hasn’t really go any tractuon yet, unfortunately.
I have to admit, it really bugged me when Fight Club implied it was unmanly to know what a duvet was, since I knew what a duvet was, and had greatly enjoyed being under my duvet on many a cold Montreal night.
Actually, that whole movie bugged me for a variety of reasons.
I don’t really agree with the assertion that it’s umanly to know the word (being as I’m female it wouldn’t really bother me anyway), but I have to say that I didn’t know what a duvet was until probably my late teens. To me, “comforter” is the standard word and “duvet” is slightly pretentious sounding…though I realize that it’s probably otherwise in other places.
I think “duvet” is the European name for a comforter. I was well into my 20s before I heard it used. I heard it from my German boyfriend.
And as for “manly” words, my husband and his buddy, the muscle-bound, ex outlaw biker guy were drinking “smoothies” after their workout. Until a friend of mine told me they should be calling them “power drinks”. Of course, it doesn’t really matter, but I had to zing them with it just because. And guess what…they’re calling them “power drinks” now. Heh-heh.
I had to travel to Europe before I knew what a duvet was. I spent about a week traveling, and everywhere I went the beds had duvets. I got back, and gushed to my friends about how in Europe, everyone uses these super-thick comforters that are extra-heavy, and you only have to wash the cover. And some Cordelia Chase clone butts in and says,
“Oh. My. God. It’s called a duvet. Where have you been living?”
I was good and pissed at her for making me feel all uncultured, until I found out she grew up four miles away from me, in a town best known for its pig farming. And now, like all good hijackers, I’m going to request that you fly this thread to Cuba. Cuba libre!
Wait, hang on. If someone covers a blues standard (like Traveling Riverside Blues) in the style that Clapton or Zeppelin did it, rather than their own style - duvet?
And speaking of Clapton, there are two versions of Layla; one of them is therefore Clapton covering himself. If I cover the original, clearly a cover. But if I cover the other one - duvet?
One last puzzler: the recent Dixie Chicks cover of Landslide owes a lot to the Smashing Pumpkins’ cover, but Stevie Nicks actually came onstage with the Dixie Chicks to sing it. Cover, or duvet?
And is there some way to associate the fact that duvet is a French word with the Dixie Chicks’ political views to work the Republicans into a froth? Cuba Libre!
Here’s where it gets really helical. Trivet and corvette are both correct, but they both have multiple meanings. Trivet is also a cutesy cast-iron thingy (most of which, oddly, have four legs) as well as a soldier who has served in three wars. Corvette is also a warship and, as a trademark, a rorty little car with big tires. To make matters worse, a quarvette is a rorty little car owned by a gay man.
Furthermore, the fifth cover is a civet, and it eats coffee beans, and musicians may get SARS during the recording session. Everybody clear on that?
I know what a duvet is, but I don’t understand what you mean by a “cover” when you’re talking about music. What does playing someone else’s song have to do with a cover? Can someboy please explain the term for me?
